Christmas!

The Harvey family had a very nice Christmas this year. Since Brenna was not feeling well, we decided to stay home this year and missed getting to see all of our family, but wanted Brenna to feel better and thought home would help. On Friday, we got to have special visitors from Philadelphia - our friends Ryan and Paula. We went to Christmas Eve mass and boy was it packed! There were lots of precious little people dressed up in their Christmas outfits - including Brenna. Then, Grandma and Grandpa Harvey came over for Christmas Eve festivities and helped Brenna open gifts - including a rocking horse that sings and talks! We enjoyed watching Brenna rip at the paper and try to eat the bows - she was feeling good for a few hours that night. She ended up being sick most of the weekend, but we are hoping the worst is over. We wish that we didn't have to postpone the surgery for so long, but will do what the doctor recommends! Next weekend, we'll get to celebrate with Aunt Jamie, Uncle Josh and Grandma and Grandad Pearson - so they'll be more pictures to come of our Christmas part 2.

Surgery postponed!

Well, unfortunately, the purpose of this post is to tell you all that we had to postpone Brenna's surgery to repair her cleft lip. Earlier this week, mommy got sick and tried her best to stay away from Brenna, but she somehow still got sick and on Thursday we had to call Dr. Beals' office to cancel for Tuesday. Because she had a fever, the informed us that we have to wait 6 weeks before rescheduling. So, her new surgery date at this point is February 21st. Brenna is still feeling a little icky - some vomiting and diarrea - so mom and dad are not very happy either. We hope that she will feel better in time for Christmas so we can at least get some good pictures! We are missing out on a trip to Show Low because of this icky illness too - but there's always next month right?
This is a picture of Brenna's visit with Santa - she did very well in his lap! I know her eyes are red - I can't get our software to fix it, so oh well! This is a picture of her in her cute little patent leather shoes all dressed up for the Christmas parties we attended last weekend. We are looking forward to her first Christmas, even though she is feeling sick. It should be fun to see what she likes most - the gifts or the packaging. =)

Brenna's baptism

Brenna was baptized this Saturday at St. Mary Magdalene's parish in Gilbert. Her Godparents, Jamie and Mark are in this picture and lots of family and friends were able to join us for this celebration. Brenna was on her best behavior and looked adorable in the baptismal gown that Aunt Mary made for her! The only part she didn't like was the water being poured on her head - but she was happy as soon as that was over!
After the baptism, we had a small gathering with family and friends and allowed the subjects of our baby blogs (Brenna, Jason and Jacy) to meet and play! They were all very interested in each other and Jason was a lucky guy to be in between two gorgeous baby girls.

4 months!

Brenna hit the 4 month mark on Friday! She is getting bigger and longer every day and we are enjoying every minute we have with her. I don't have her official weight/height at 4 months - her checkup is next week, but I'll report it then. She is generally pretty happy these days, except for a yucky cold and some gas. She is laughing out loud now, and the baths have moved into the big tub (where plenty of leg kicking and splashing can occur). This weekend, we went shopping for awhile, went to church and to a class to get ready for her baptism. She was a good girl pretty much the whole time! Meanwhile, we are getting ready for surgery and preparing ourselves for the aftercare. Mom is starting to get sad about her poor baby going through this yucky surgery, but we know it's for the best and that she is in good hands!

Happy Turkey Day!!

We had a very nice Thanksgiving this year. We remembered that last year at this time, we were just starting to tell the family that Brenna was on her way into the world! We had dinner at our house and Grandma and Grandad Pearson and Aunt Jamie and Uncle Josh came to visit. Brenna babbled and cooed all day long and then took a nice little nap right as we sat down to eat - she konked out at just the right time! We have all been fighting a little cold, but in general doing great! Brenna weighs 13.5 pounds now and is changing so much every day. I just put away a lot of her 0-3 month clothes and felt so sad that she'll never wear them again. I just can't believe how fast she has grown! We put out the Christmas decorations this weekend and Brenna really seems to enjoy the lights on the tree (and so does mommy). We have a surgery date of 12/27, so we are beginning the preparations that go along with that. She'll be out of day care for about 2 weeks, so we are planning for that and making all the arrangements. We'll continue to post updates, so check back for all the details on her surgery!

Favorite time of day

Brenna loves her bathtime. She gets a bath every day and it seems to be her happiest time. Even if she is grouchy for no reason at all, once she hits that water she is happy! She frequently tinkles in the tub and thinks it's very funny that mommy (or daddy) has to empty and refill the tub. We love giving her a bath, but it's starting to get a bit wet for us too - she's enjoying splashing a bit too much. We're still using her tub over the kitchen sink, but think that that will soon come to an end because of all the splashing.








Mommy was home with Brenna a couple of days this week since some kids in the daycare (including Brenna) got pink-eye. She is doing fine, but hates getting the drops in her eyes - who wouldn't? We also had an appointment with the geneticist (a part of her cleft team) to see if her cleft lip/palate are related to any other genetic conditions. She was fully examined and lots of medical history questions and developmental questions were asked and it looks like she has what is called "isolated clefting" meaning that it is not connected to any other conditions. She was also weighed and measured and is currently 12 lbs, 11 oz and 26 inches long! She's getting so big =)

3 months!

Brenna hit the 3 month mark last Wednesday - we just can't believe how fast these months have gone by! She is doing very well and growing every day. We don't know officially how much she weighs since we didn't have a well-baby visit this month, but we estimate about 12 pounds from our experiences with the home scale. She is really adjusting to the day care and is smiling more and more throughout the day. She has now figured out how to roll all the way over - but still tends to get stuck on her belly and get upset. Most nights, she sleeps quite a bit, maybe waking up once in the middle of the night. She is holding her head up very well and the day care teachers have been putting her in the Exersaucer, so we decided to try it at home and she loves it!

Happy Halloween!

Brenna's first Halloween has us buzzing . . . she is dressing as a cute little bumble bee. Even though she is a bit young to trick or treat, it's fun for mom & dad to dress her up! And the trick or treaters that come to our house tomorrow will enjoy seeing a little bee hand out the candy.
Brenna's daycare will also be dressing the babies up for pictures - some of them might make it onto this site. Brenna is having a good time at day care (we think). She surprised all the teachers by rolling over the other day - even though she's already done it for mom and dad. This weekend she rolled from back to belly and back again! We really enjoyed getting to spend some time with her this weekend. It's been hard to be away from her during the week!

At the pumpkin patch

We took Brenna to Schnepf Farms Pumpkin and Chili party this weekend and had so much fun! She got to see her first pumpkins, meet her first sheep and goat, watch pig races and sit in hay. She was such a good girl and we all enjoyed ourselves. Unfortunately, we were only there in the daylight for about an hour and could've done much more if it hadn't gotten dark. We'll know for next year to go earlier in the day! This weekend was special for mommy since she is going back to work Monday and Brenna is starting day care =( It will be a sad day and I'm sure mommy will cry! But, the day care - called A Child's Place at the Ranches - is a very nice place and all of Brenna's teachers are nice too. Not as good as mommy of course, but until that powerball hits it'll have to do . . .

Rollin', rollin', rollin' . . .

Brenna has figured out how to roll over! We have found that she really enjoys laying on the floor (on a blanket of course) on her back and playing. She'll babble away and kick her little legs constantly. She has been rolling onto her side for awhile now, and now without any help, she rolls herself right over onto her belly. It is funny to watch her go from happy and babbling to really mad that she's on her belly. She can't quite figure out how to get out of that position and starts crying after a few seconds. But, as soon as we move her onto her back again, she's rolling back over!


And here's a bonus smile picture from today . .

Brenna's travels

Whew - this last week has been busy! Last Wednesday, when Justin went quail hunting, I decided to take Brenna up to Show Low to visit (and so we wouldn't be all alone with Justin gone). First, she went to her 2 month checkup and got her shots =( She weighed in at 10 lbs, 13.5 oz and was 23 inches long, so she is making good progress! We got to spend some time with Grandma Diane and with friends in Show Low. On Saturday, we drove back down to the valley, did some shopping and spent the weekend down here. Aunt Jamie had been in Boston for the weekend for a friend's wedding and flew back on Sunday. When her flight was delayed, her plans to get back home to Tucson were messed up, so we ended up taking her home on Monday. So, Brenna got to spend some time with Aunt Jamie too - mostly in the back seat of the Explorer. After dropping Jamie off, we continued on up to Show Low again to make sure Grandma Diane made it to work on Tuesday. Then, we got to spend some time with Grandad Dave. The weather was definitely cooler up there, but it was a great visit! On the way home, we stopped to see Great-Grandad and Aunt Sandy in Globe and finally made it home this Wednesday. Brenna had a great time - she smiled a lot and we even think she's on the verge of laughing! These pictures are the only ones I got (the camera just wasn't on my mind). So, we have one with the back of Grandad Dave's head - oh well, there's always next time!

2 months old!

Brenna officially hit the 2 month mark on Sunday - October 2nd. We can't believe that she's already 2 months! We've really started to see lots of changes in her - she focuses much better on her mobile and her toys, she smiles at them (and at us) more, she has found that her hands taste really good, and she rolls onto her side to sleep and sometimes she sleeps 6-7 hours at night. Although she is still grouchy pants sometimes, she is becoming a more happy baby than she was a few weeks ago, which makes her a lot more fun for us too! These pictures show her laughing at the animals that hang above her bouncy seat and on her 2 month birthday in mommy's favorite outfit.

Hanging out

Brenna is getting much more active in her sleep lately. When she first starting napping in the crib, we moved the bumper so that we could easily see into the side of the crib to make sure she was doing ok. Now, when she sleeps in there, we find her in all sorts of positions, some of which require that the bumper be put back! I have found her with her feet through the slats, as in this picture - and one morning she bonked her head on them and woke herself up! So, now the bumper is back and all the hard parts of the crib are covered. No more bonks on the head allowed!

Overcoming a hurdle

Brenna is not a big fan of traditional tummy time, so mommy figured out (with some help from Jody and Jacy) that the Boppy can be a great help with getting that tummy time in. You can see in the first picture that Brenna is learning to hold her head up really well - she has a very strong neck (as she shows us frequently by tossing her head around when we are holding her). During this tummy time activity, she decided to climb over the Boppy. It took her a few minutes, but I could see her little legs and arms working to push her body over the top of the Boppy. After a little struggle and a little bit of fussing, she managed to get herself almost all the way over it - into the position on the 3rd picture. Then, mom came to the rescue. We are very excited to see this kind of activity in our little girl already - we think it's a good sign of her strength and abilities!

Favorite Pastime

Everyone loves this picture, so I thought it would make a good blog post. Brenna has definitely inherited one of her daddy's favorite pastimes - napping. This picture was taken one weekend when Justin had worked hard out in the heat and needed to catch up on his sleep. During a very messy diaper change, Justin never heard the calls for help, so Brenna was plopped on to his chest while mommy cleaned up the mess. She instantly fell asleep with him and stayed that way for quite awhile.

Say cheese!

Well, here it is, Brenna's first official smile (on camera anyway). She's been smiling for about a week - real smiles, not just the kind associated with gas or other bodily functions. Today, after this afternoon's bottle, Brenna was in a playful mood, so mommy decided to try to capture a smile on camera. You can see mommy's hand in one of the pictures - after a pinch/tickle on the cheek to solicit a smile. Gotta love that little grin!

Road Trip!

This weekend we took a trip to Show Low (and stopped in Globe on the way home). It was an exciting weekend - lots of people that got to meet Brenna for the first time! We had a small open house at Grandma and Grandpa Pearson's house and Brenna got to meet lots of family friends who live in Show Low. Unfortunately, she was not at her best. A gas bubble (or something horrible) got the best of her for most of the party and she was fussy and crying the entire time. But, she did get to meet her buddy Colton who is 9 days older than her. This is a picture of them with Colton's mommy and brother (Meghan & Sean). The weather was a bit chilly in Show Low (compared to the 100+ degrees here in the valley) so we didn't venture out too much. It was a fun weekend and a nice getaway!

On our way home, we stopped in Globe to visit Great-Grandad Pearson and Aunt Sandy. Brenna is Gran's 5th great-grandchild and it was very fun to visit.
This picture represents 4 different generations of Pearsons! Fortunately, Brenna was in a pretty good mood during this visit - once she was fed. The ride home from Globe was sort of noisy, but overall, Brenna handled this road trip well. And she should, we'll be making it often!

Is crying contagious?

It would seem so after seeing Brenna spend a few hours with her friend Jason. This weekend, we had dinner with our friends the Martins and experienced what appeared to be contagious crying episodes. If Jason was content and Brenna started crying, Jason would soon start crying. This phenomenon also worked the other way around. It also seemed that once we got one baby calm, the other one would pick it up! Needless to say, we had a pretty noisy night, as indicated by the picture of them crying together. But, we did have fun!


Brenna also discovered a new toy while we were there. Jason's swing has 2 different motions and during one of her crying spells, we thought we'd try out the cradle mode to see if it helped her. And . . . it did! So, that has been our most recent purchase. Although Brenna had a swing already, the cradle mode makes a world of difference for her, it really seems to soothe her, so we gave in and bought one. As you can see, it will probably help mom and dad stay sane.

Slumber Party!

Brenna had her first official slumber party with her friend Jacy this weekend. Our friends the Simmers had some bad luck with air conditioning and stayed with us for a couple of nights. Although Brenna mostly slept during the slumber party (she wasn't very entertaining for Jacy), they had fun! The other major activities included crying, eating and watching Jake and Scruffy (the dogs) chase each other around the house. All in all - a great party!

Brenna's day out

Well, Brenna is sleeping much better these days. The fussiness still continues, but we are all hanging in there. Attached is a picture of one of our calming techniques - the swing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it's just not enough! Yesterday was a very exciting day. We had a visit to Dr. Beals (the surgeon who will repair her cleft lip/palate), went to the County Attorney's Office to visit mommy's work friends and went to a restaurant for the first time!

The visit with Dr. Beals went well. He was very positive about her repairs, indicating that her lip will be easily repaired since it has a small section that is already connected. She will not need the obturator (the prosthetic palate that may have been needed) because of this connection under her nostril. They gave us the time frame of 4 months indicating that surgery on her lip would be done sometime in January. They explained that it will be an outpatient procedure and that she should be able to eat with the Haberman Feeder almost immediately out of recovery! So, stay tuned for updates. We'll be seeing Dr. Beals again in a few months for a pre-op appointment and will know more then.